January 28, 2021
Good afternoon,
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. ” Matthew 7:7-8 , Jesus’ words from the Sermon on the Mount.
The pandemic has been here for almost a year. I have prayed for it to end. I have prayed for our front-line workers. I have prayed for the infection to stop. I have prayed for our family, for healing and hope. And God has not answered my prayers the way that I wanted them to be answered. There must be a different answer that I do not see, yet. How do you see God working in this year of the PANDEMIC ? In your prayers to the God of everything, what are you hearing ?
The above passage is from the Sermon on the Mount. For Mennonite/Anabaptist people, this sermon is what we want to live by. It is not a vision for heaven, but a call to discipleship here on this earth, right here in Poole. It is a hard sermon to live out. We need the Spirit to live inside of us, to help us to know what to do. “Do not worry, love your enemies, do not judge, re-think the ten commandments, give to the needy and say this prayer, starting with ” Our Father…. ” are all there in the Sermon. Now, that is a lot of guidelines to an abundant life.
Ask … seek … knock… are three invitations that Jesus offers to us. These are very simple actions. Ask God through prayer for anything. You have to get up and look or seek for the Kingdom of God. Finally, you have to knock so God hears you, and you have to open the door when it is unlocked. What do you want to ask God for right now ? What do you need to keep searching for ? And maybe a door has closed for you recently, and you are looking for the next door ( window ) to open ?
Prayer
O God,
We want everything,
but we know everything is not good for us.
help us to search for new ways
to follow and find you,
open the right door for us
to walk through
so we might know your ways more fully. AMEN
 FRED |